As art and music programs are increasingly recognized as vital for kids to develop senses of creativity, collaboration and self-esteem, one model has emerged in recent years as an ideal way to meld all three. And rock out, while doing so.
The “rock band” model—in which a small group of novice-musicians are taught to play a handful of popular songs over a short period by a professional mentor, culminating in a public performance—is utilized by both private and public music programs across the country. Popularized by the 2003 comedy School of Rock—written by Mike White, directed by Richard Linklater and starring Jack Black—the concept is often credited as dating back to the late 1990s when the Paul Green School of Rock Music launched in Philadelphia.
Today, rock-band programs are everywhere—offered in schools, through private companies and beyond.
The North Bay offers multiple opportunities for kids (and in many cases adults) to join a band, learn the basics of an instrument and enjoy the thrill of teamwork and performing live in front of friends and family, often in a public venue. Many students have gone on to form their own bands, joining the local music scene.
Music for a lifetime
“I’m a passionate musician myself, but more on a hobby basis,” says Ralf Lindner, owner of the Napa School of Music. “I’ve been playing music since as long as I can think—in various bands and music styles. So I made my hobby my job.”
Lindner took over the school in 2017 and, although a lifelong musician, he says simply running the school keeps him plenty busy. In the past three months alone, the school has grown by 10%. It currently has around 550 students, and Lindner expects to expand beyond that. The school welcomes low-income students, offering opportunities to help with costs.
The school’s mission is to teach students the skills they need to enjoy music for a lifetime.
He says that’s something they think about when they hire new teachers. “We want to make sure they will bring joy to the kids,” Lindner says. They tailor lessons based on the goals of the student and pay attention to what speed each student learns so they aren’t pushing them to learn faster than they are comfortable.
The teachers at the Napa School of Music have varied backgrounds, from advanced degrees to a simple passion for music. Many play gigs, in bands or even with big tours. Some are singer-songwriters.
“When we ask what kind of music you like, we definitely have a teacher that is also into that kind of music,” Lindner says. As the school grows, Lindner is continually on the look out for new teachers.
Lindner sees his rock band program as a way to improve young lives. “We want to build self-esteem through music,” he says.
“A lot of kids, when [they first start], are more introverted, but music can change a lot,” Lindner says. “Once we get them into one of the rock bands, as a member of these bands they start to open up and that’s when we say, ‘OK, now you can see that self-esteem growing through music.’”
Lindner says the rock bands are popular both for students and families. “They all end up with a big concert at the end of the season—after12 weeks of rehearsing—where they perform on a big stage in downtown Napa,” he says. “Last time we were at The Garden [a restaurant and beer garden at 1500 First St.], and it was sold out. We had more than 250 people there.”
Lindner says he can feel the excitement on a performance night. “You have the parents and the relatives and friends and siblings sitting down there and cheering them on and taking videos that they can show around later on.”
Lindner says the school is also able serve students with special needs. He stresses that students are patient with all band members as they learn their parts, describing how members of one of their garage bands accepted a band mate with developmental disabilities.
“Even if it’s not perfect the way [a student] plays things, they’re contributing to the band and nobody is complaining about anything.”
Lindner particularly likes how friendships can develop as kids play together in a band. “That’s something that gives me a lot of joy in my work,” he says.
Talent in Sonoma County is ‘insane’
Joshua Walden is the co-owner and general manager of the School of Rock Santa Rosa. He says the school was his husband Jake Walden’s idea. Jake was a full-time musician before retiring to raise a family with Joshua. When the couple’s twins were 4 years old, he wanted to get back into music and thought a music school would be a good way to do that.
“We didn’t necessarily know what we were getting ourselves into, but we decided to press on and follow it through,” Walden says. “Now six years later, we’ve been having the time of our lives running the School of Rock up here in Santa Rosa.”
Walden says he likes the immediate name recognition that comes with owning a franchise school. “We could never have had the success we had without being a part of the franchise,” he says.
“They really built something amazing and gave us the framework and the roadwork, while still letting us do a lot of things our own way,” Walden says. “They just have all the tools we need and the marketing we need to be successful.”
“Whether you’re a beginner or you have some experience, we put you with other people to form a complete band,” Walden says. He stresses the bands aren’t formed based on skill. “We don’t put the most advanced players in a band with each other because it is a community and everybody relies on helping each other. It’s a really collaborative experience.”
Walden says they like the performance-based approach for a lot of reasons, but an important one is that music is like a language the students are learning together. “When a kid’s learning how to speak for the first time, they don’t just do it by themselves, they do it in a group, they do it with us—they learn a lot quicker that way,” he says. “They enjoy it a lot more and building that community is really kind of amazing.”
Their teachers are all active musicians. “Usually the reason they come to us is they want to be a part of the next generation and help inspire them and build that passion for music,” Walden says.
Walden says it can be scary when kids first come to the school. “You walk into our school and you just hear all these kids doing their instruments all over the school and when you’re a beginner, it’s quite intimidating,” he says. “But you go into a band and because you’re having so much fun, you’re actually practicing at home, and before you know it, you know your first song way quicker than you normally would.”
He says Sonoma County has a lot of incredibly talented kids. “It’s a really rich music community in general,” Waldens says. “But immediately in our first year there was a really big competition [Center Stage, a talent showcase before record executives] among all the School of Rocks with Atlantic Records and two of our students were the final vocalists chosen for that.”
Their students continue to win awards and make their way into the community with their music. “I’m telling you the talent here in Sonoma County is insane,” Walden says. “[After six years], we’re definitely seeing that it’s our students that are taking over the professional music community here. A lot of the really popular bands right now—like Gas Money and Ryan Woodard Band and 945—they’re all from School of Rock.”
“Music is like a universal language,” Walden repeated. “What’s really cool about music is anybody can love music and participate in music. And the community is built on this idea that you get to be original and you get to be authentic, and you get to be you. And that’s a celebration, not a judgement. So, I mean, it’s just a really healthy community to get to be a part of, and anybody can be a part of it.”
Keeping live music alive
Heather Riley was part of the School of Rock Santa Rosa team before getting the opportunity to open her own School of Rock franchise in San Rafael. She says belonging to a franchise means not having to reinvent the wheel.
“I was fortunate enough to ‘try before you buy’ as I helped establish School of Rock Santa Rosa,” Riley says. “This franchise is an excellent business model and the support from the franchisor is outstanding.
“The systems, marketing and training a School of Rock franchise has in place are really solid and I gain from a corporation-sized marketing department who never takes their foot of the gas.”
The school now has 300 students and a waitlist. Riley says she’s discerning when hiring new teachers. “If I could fit in more summer camps I would, because they are so in demand in Marin County, but we value quality over quantity,” she says. “Our students come focused and ready to rock, and our instructors always go the extra mile.”
They have 16 under-18 bands and five adult bands. “All of them are keeping live music alive,” Riley says.
Three times a year they host showcases and their mission is to put on real shows at real venues. “We take over Hopmonk [Tavern in Novato] or Sweetwater [Music Hall in Mill Valley] for our showcases and our students fully embrace the buzz from playing live in front of an audience,” Riley says.
Riley says the school also has a house band of extremely talented young musicians who get invited to play gigs all over the county. “They’ve been invited back to perform at St. Isabella and St. Anselm school festivals because, in addition to being talented, they’re a blast to watch,” Riley says.
The school supports the local music scene in other ways too. “We employ gigging musicians who love to teach,” Riley says. “We actively promote their shows, encouraging our families to go out and watch them.”
Riley says local live music is her favorite thing and she’s here to keep spreading the word. “Although I’ve enjoyed festivals and arena shows, I prefer to see and hear my music locally, in smaller venues, where you can get close enough to the stage to feel it,” she says. “We have an extraordinary local music scene both historically and now.”
She says the admission price to a local show is a bargain for the talent that can be seen.
“If music fans are reading this—please make a point of getting out and seeing your local bands,” urges Riley. “Buy some merch or vinyl if you can so that some money goes directly to the band.” Adds Riley: “And, yes, take some cash for the tip jar.”
Health benefits of music
The National Institute of Health published a literature review in December of 2023 about the health benefits of music. Here are some highlights:
- Music enhances cognitive function including memory, attention and learning.
- Music soothes our emotions with therapeutic benefits like alleviating stress, anxiety, and depression.
- Music enhances our physical health, helping with pain management and physical rehabilitation.
- Music supports social bonding and communication with others.
- Local music teachers and school administrators that we spoke with all mentioned that students who play in school rock bands learn faster, gain confidence and make friends.
- Music Therapy has become widely accepted for its therapeutic potential.
